This guide will show you the most important iPhone 6s camera tips that will allow you to take better iPhone photos without spending money on apps and accessories. The camera in your iPhone and the tools in iOS 9 are capable of producing beautiful photos if you know how to use it.

Most of these iOS 9 camera tips work on all iPhones, but there are several that only work on the newer iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Keep in mind that you’ll get better results with newer iPhones, even using the same iPhone camera tips and tricks.

This is how we take better looking iPhone photos with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and how you can wow your friends on Facebook, make print-worthy iPhone photos and capture memories and moments in new detail.

The essential iPhone 6s camera tips and tricks to take better looking iPhone photos and videos.

The iPhone 6s camera is incredibly capable, and if you know where to tap and slide you can quickly liven up a photo by bringing light to someone’s face without using the flash, capture action with burst mode and even take a Live Photo.

iPhone 6s Camera Tips: iPhone Photo Guide

When you start taking iPhone photos you are just pressing the shutter, but if you spend a few seconds before you take the photo you can dramatically improve your iPhone photos by adjusting settings and options with a tap and a swipe.

Here are five important iPhone 6s camera tips to know about before you press the shutter to take a picture. By improving the quality of your iPhone photos at this step you will be able to edit a better looking photo and improve the end result.

Tap on the Subject

Tap on the subject, to get better focus and exposure.

When You want to take an iPhone photo, tap on the subject that you are taking the photo of. This will focus on that person or object and set the exposure for that person.

Simply taping on the face of the person you are taking a photo of can add more light to their face so you don’t need to use a flash.

Use iPhone HDR Mode

Use the controls at the top of the screen to change key settings on and off.

When taking a photo with HDR on the iPhone camera takes multiple photos at different exposures and combines them to deliver a single photo that often shows more impressive colors, more details in shadows and a better mix of light and dark.

Tap on HDR in the top area of the camera app on the iPhone. By default the iPhone will keep the original and the HDR photos.

Manually Set iPhone Camera Exposure

The iPhone 6s and other iPhones support an option to manually control the exposure. This lets you add or remove light from your photos. You do not need to know anything about how cameras work to use this. It is not an obscure setting.

After you tap on the subject you are taking a photo of you’ll notice a small sun icon on a vertical line to the right of the box. Swipe up on this line to add more light to your photos or drag down to remove light. Experiment with this and you’ll soon find that you can turn an otherwise poor photo into something special by controlling how much light is present.

Lock Focus and Exposure on iPhone

Now that we covered the basics of using the focus, by tapping on the subject, and manual exposure by swiping up or down we’ll show you how to lock both so you can move the camera without it automatically adjusting anything on you.

Tap and hold on the subject you want for a second or two. The on-screen box will expand and contract several times then you will see AE/AF Lock at the top of your screen. The focus and exposure are now locked to what you tapped on. You can adjust the exposure manually using the small sun icon and it will stay where you put it.

You can lock exposure and focus so you don’t need to set it back up over and over.

Now you can move the camera around slightly and the focus will stay the same and so will the exposure. You can use this to set and lock these and then adjust for a slightly better angle or to keep the focus and exposure over the same session of taking iPhone photos.

Avoid The iPhone Flash, Most of the Time

Apple makes a big deal about the iPhone 6s camera flash including the new option to take a selfie with a front-facing flash. The flash is handy to have, when a photo is otherwise worthless, but overall we recommend avoiding a flash and looking for a better position or more natural light.

Even the better than average iPhone 6s flash can leave your subject looking washed out at times. If you are at a large event the flash is useless, and if you are taking a photo through glass or or of something with glass the flash is a bad idea.

Knowing when to use the flash will take a little time. One of the best uses is when you are taking a photo of a person with the sun behind them. The flash can remove shadows from their face so you can actually see them.

How to Use Live Photos

The iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 6s include support for Live Photos. This captures a second and a half before and after you press the button to capture a photo.

There is a small icon in the middle of the upper camera screen that shows if this is on. If the icon is yellow then Live Photos are on and you simply need to take a photo to taker a Live Photo. If it is white, Live Photos are off.

When you take a live photo you capture sound and motion. If you edit this you will lose the live photo part. This takes up more storage than a normal photo, but the good news is that you still have your full resolution photo that you can print or share anywhere.

How to Take Burst Photos on iPhone

Taking a burst photo on the iPhone is the same as on iOS 8. If you hold the shutter down while taking a photo the camera will take 10 photos per second. You can choose the ones you want to keep and edit individual photos from the burst. This is a great way to capture photos of kids or pets that rarely look the right direction.

iPhone 6s Slow Motion Video Guide

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus can record slow motion video at up to 240 frames per second. That can really slow down a video to capture movement in incredible ways. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus also record video at this speed.

Slide to the right or left until you are on Slo-Mo to choose slow motion. Go to Settings -> Photos & Camera -> Record Slo-Mo and choose 1080P at 120FPS or 240FPS at 720P.

Make sure you use the trim options to select the part you need to be slow motion and the overall clip as shown in the video above.

iPhone 6s Time Lapse Video Guide

You can record time lapse videos on the iPhone 6s and other iPhone models. This takes a long video and fits it into a much shorter period of time. It is a great way to capture a long sunset or a lot of movement into small, easy to watch video.

To get to this swipe until Time Lapse shows on your iPhone camera app. This works best with some kind of tripod to hold the camera still.

You can watch an example above. This was shot on the iPhone and edited in iMovie to include music.

How to Take 4K Video on iPhone 6s

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus can record 4K video, which is a higher resolution than 1080P HD. This is handy if you are going to play the footage back on your 4K TV or you just want the best looking footage possible.

To use this you need to go into Settings and turn on 4K. Go to Settings -> Photos & Camera -> Record Video -> 4K at 30FPS.

You cannot change this in the Camera app, so you will need to choose the type of video you want to record before you are out taking video unless you want to mess around in settings.

iPhone 6s Camera Tricks to Take Better iPhone Photos

Change Photo Style – You can swipe form left to right to change the type of photo you take, including a square photo that is perfect for knowing what you will share on Instagram later.

Filter Photos – In the bottom right corner of your iPhone camera app is a filter option that lets you add a filter to your photo before you take it. This is like Instagram, but before you even take your photo.

Button Shutter – Use the volume buttons to take a photo instead of the on screen button to take photos. This is easier to find and may be easier to press without wiggling the camera and changing focus.

Flash in Video – When you are recording a video you can tap the flash icon to turn on the back flash to illuminate your subject. Tap again to turn it off. You can turn this on and off as you use the camera.

Selfie Flash – When taking a selfie with the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus turn on the flash and the screen will illuminate to a very bright level so your selfie is easy to see even in a dark setting.

Camera Timer – If you want to be in the photo or need to set a time to capture something, tap the small clock in the upper bar of the camera app to set the timer for 3 seconds or 10 seconds.

Panorama – If you swipe right to the Pano option in the camera you can press the shutter then move your camera from left to right to take a panoramic photo that captures landscape in ways a single frame cannot.

10 Best iPhone 6s Cases

Speck CandyShell Clear iPhone 6s Case

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The Speck CandyShell Clear is the first clear iPhone 6s case from Speck, and the first clear case from the company overall. This form-fitting, minimalist iPhone 6s case delivers a decent amount of protection with a military drop test 810G rating.

Speck assures us that the clear case will not yellow with use like many cheap clear case options. The clear finish is perfect for showing off your iPhone 6s color choice while protecting it.

Buttons move perfectly and are easy to find by touch and there is a raised front bezel to keep the iPhone 6s display off hard surfaces.